FSpaceRPG article

We’ve done a big purge on the number of iOS app ebook app titles available, largely because of poor sales and our inability to maintain such a large pool of apps (we topped out at 115).

Last year we combined a number of apps together so that we could delete the likes of:

A combined Federation Times title that includes and replaces:

Federation times 1

Federation times 2

Federation times 3

Federation times 4

Federation times 5

Federation times 6

Federation times 7

Federation times 8

Federation times 9

Federation times 10

At the same time that combo had other newer issues added.

A combined Derelict scenario app containing the original and v1.1 edition in the one app.

Combining all of the FSpaceRPG written mainly by Stephen Pritchard into one collection. These titles covering:

Derelict Scenario versions

Tech Update v1

Tech Update v1.1

Pritchard beta files

Turram Encounter v1.1

Personality v1

Personality v1.1

We’ve also combined all the relevant FED RPG titles into one app collection as an update to one of the existing apps, replacing the individual titles of:

FED RPG original

FED RPG v2 beta

FED RPG Addendum 1

GDD original articles

GDD FED RPG articles

FED RPG beta files

We’ve also purged older copies of our own books where newer editions are already in app form. We’ve dropped the likes of:

Psionic system 1999

Equipment resource v1

Equipment resource v1.1

Library Data v1

Reference Manual v1

Reference Manual v2

Most of the collections include extra utility tools added like the d10 dice roller, calculator and/or skill check tool. Expect other interesting additions to collections over time.

On the good news front we are working on a uber FSpaceRPG app to combine many of our titles together to deliver even better value than the Concise Rulebook.

We’re trying to optimise our resources and deliver the best value to gamers that we can. We’ve hit the limits of our resources, so these changes rectify an unsustainable buildup. For those who’ve purchased an app we’ve dropped, these titles sold somewhere between 2 to 30 copies, so they never paid for their development as ebook apps in the first place. We expect the current compiled versions to keep working for a few more iOS steps yet, but can’t guarantee their longevity.

Our intention in consolidating apps is to get down to a smaller set that is financial sustainable into the longer term. It may take us a while. But for instance the FED RPG, Federation Times and the forthcoming FSpaceRPG (which will be released as an automatic upgrade to the Concise Rulebook 4.2 app) should indicate our intent to collapse to 1 app per game franchise. But we hope a few more ebooks apps beyond that can be supportable for subject matter interest groups - for instance our FSpaceRPG Martial Arts title is the highest volume ebook app title we have, and will be kept around so long as that remains in such good form.

These changes do not affect our utility style apps, like CraterSize, 2 Stroke Oil, Meteors and the like. Most of these titles completely outperform the RPG ebook apps, and are the only things making doing iOS apps sustainable at all. Expect more form us in that space, and upgrades to existing apps over time.

Many of the removed titles are available as stand alone ebooks from the iBookStore as ePubs, either as resizable layouts or fixed layouts. So you can get them for use with iBooks and they don’t need to be maintained by us like software. Various other ebook vendors sell digital copies of our books, all of which can be used on iOS devices with the appropriate app, whether iBooks or a vendor specific one (Kindle).

Only our app offerings during the consolidation process are offering interactive tool components.